Qualys downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair

William Blair downgraded Qualys (QLYS) to Market Perform from Outperform without a price target In the current environment, software companies need to show growth acceleration “in order to escape the penalty box” associated with AI disrupting software-as-a-service, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm downgraded three cybersecurity names citing a “sobering view that the current investor mindset is unlikely to change over the medium term. William Blair reset its ratings to reflect continued stock volatility despite the firm’s belief that many cyber companies “will remain fundamentally sound.”